Nicole Luftensteiner said it wasn’t the first time her family’s Christmas lights in Rosemont Court had been targeted.

“We have some reindeer that light up and that used to be able to move their heads around a bit until someone tried to pull them out of the ground and broke the motor that powers them,” she said.

Mrs Luftensteiner said the plywood decoration, which was about one metre tall, had been reported missing to police yesterday.

“It’s a very precious piece to me, I would like to have it back very badly,” she said.

“I just hope that the low-life who thought it would be a good idea to steal something like this feels guilty and decides to bring it back.

“I don’t care about pressing charges or getting mad about having it taken, I just want it back.

“If it just appears back on our front lawn we’ll be happy.”

The mother-of-two has distributed flyers and put an appeal on Facebook.

Anyone with information should contact Wodonga police on 6049 2600.